The problems of scale formation and its attendant effects have troubled water systems for years. For instance, scale tends to accumulate on internal walls and surfaces of various water systems, such as boiler and cooling systems and membrane separation systems, thereby materially lessening the operational efficiency of the system.
One particular type of deposit, silica, has proven to be especially troublesome. This invention is directed toward those water systems where silica deposition is most problematic.
In cooling water systems, silica forms a deposit on the metal surfaces that contact the water flowing through the system. In this manner, heat transfer efficiency becomes severely impeded. This, in turn, has a deleterious effect on the overall operating efficiency of the cooling water system. Furthermore, silica scale forms on tower fill resulting in reduced evaporation efficiency and possibly tower fill replacement, among other deleterious effects.
Although steam-generating systems are somewhat different from cooling water systems, they share a common problem in regard to deposit formation. As detailed in the Betz Handbook of Industrial Water Conditioning, 8th Edition, 1980, Betz Laboratories, Inc., Trevose, Pa., pages 85-96, the formation of scale and sludge deposits on boiler heating surfaces is a serious problem encountered in steam generation. Although current industrial steam producing systems make use of sophisticated external treatments of the boiler feedwater, e.g., coagulation, filtration, and softening of water prior to its being fed into the boiler system, these operations are only moderately effective. In some cases, silica from various sources, such as muds, sludges, and silts, enters the boiler and act as a scale-forming agent. As is obvious, the deposition of silica on the structural parts of a steam generating system causes poorer circulation and lower heat transfer capacity, resulting accordingly in an overall loss in efficiency.
Membrane and filtration systems are also adversely affected by silica-containing waters. In the case of such separation systems, silica deposition on the membrane and packing material result in a loss of performance as evidenced by reduced throughput and inadequate water quality.